My husband and I both work freelance and so our income fluctuates widely. Sometimes I can afford to buy new, and sometimes I can’t, but either way I still try to buy used first. Being a non-consumer isn’t just about being frugal. It’s also about simple living, green living, and taking care to tread as […]

My friend Betsy Talbot of Married With Luggage turned me on to this awesome Facebook page called Recycled, UpCycled, Freecycled Garden Projects, and I can’t get enough of it! How cool is this recycled trampoline tepee/hammock/meditation area? I love it! It solves so many problems and meets so many goals at once: creating a Zen garden space, staying out […]

If you’re looking for some non-consumer holiday gift wrapping ideas, here are a few options for you. I haven’t bought wrapping paper for several years, I use it over and over and it turns out like the package on the left. I cut up old Christmas cards and save wrapping paper from gifts I receive […]

A couple of weeks ago I was driving through the neighborhood fairly early in the morning and noticed a line up of people outside a residence. That seemed unusual, and then I noticed an “Estate Sale” sign. Since I’d never been to one, I was curious and pulled over to check it out. Despite being […]

Whatever you like to call it, I’m big on this form of commerce. In fact, after I wrote two posts about our recent Nonconsumer Vacation, I was surprised that I had left out a successful trade I made when I wanted a piece of homemade cherry pie and they were all out of it. I […]

A reader named Elaine sent me these photos of the beautiful curtains she found at a consignment store. Elaine described them as “Thrifty Threads for her windows.” I thought that was very clever, and that the drapes were beautiful, so I told her that even though I was very strict about Thrifty Threads being about […]